Roger Federer pulls out of French Open

Roger Federer has announced he will not be playing at the French Open as a result of a back injury. The 34-year-old Swiss delivered the news on his official Facebook page, bringing to an end a remarkable run of 65 successive grand slam appearances.

Federer is a one-time winner of the French and a 17-time slam champion overall. He has played in just four tournaments in 2016.

“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open. I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100% and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready,” he wrote.

“This decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career.”

The French Open starts in Paris on Sunday.

With Federer’s advancing years, speculation has started as to when he will call time on his career. However, he seemingly has no plans to go yet: “I remain as motivated and excited as ever and my plan is to achieve the highest level of fitness before returning to the ATP World Tour for the upcoming grass court season.

Here’s a little extra sport: Ahead of Euro 2016 BallTalk TV ask which Irish players in the Premier League had the best season: